Synopsis: This story was originally posted to ASC on November 14, 2001. While dropping in on crew of the Enterprise, Q gets a naughty idea for fun from the Bard himself.  This little offering takes place after "Carpe Diem" in Whoa Nellie's 'Reasons of the Heart' timeline.  The story does stand on it's own.

As always: Paramount owns all the marbles.  We just have a lot more fun playing with them.

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Midsummer's Q

 A flash of light flared inside the empty readyroom on the Enterprise E.  Glancing around the room, Q recognized models of the Stargazer and Enterprise D, an antique brass sextant, a fencing foil and Livingston swimming around in his large aquarium.  The entity smiled, "I'll admit, Mon Capitane, you do keep around the most wonderful toys."

 A large leather tome under glass caught his eye.  Retrieving the collections of Shakespeare's works, He sat down in the captain's chair, put his feet up on the desk, and began to leaf through it.  One work in particular piqued his curiosity.  "What a entertaining notion."

He vanished with the book.

...........................................

 From a cozy corner in another dimension, Q observed the artificial life form, Lt. Commander Data, alone in a turbolift and quoted a particularly intriguing passage;

 "The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid
 Will make or man or woman madly dote
 Upon the next live creature that it sees."

 The entity paused thoughtfully for a moment. "Well, it just needs a bit of something here and there, let's see:

 My touch on waking eyelids laid
 The next thing then thy look upon,
 Be it image or the being true,
 Thy shall pursue it with the soul of lust.
 And ere the charm fall from thy sight,
 Thou must needs satisfy thy desire."

...........................................................................................

 In the turbolift heading to the ship's archaeology lab, Data carefully reviewed the results of research he had done for Archaeology Councilmember Vash.  She had been commissioned to restore a statue on behalf of the Federation based on her unique expertise of Gamma Quadrant cultures.  The figure appeared to have once been a man, but was badly deteriorated with age and exposure to the elements.  It had been stolen by tomb raiders during the Dominion War and the Enterprise was transporting the statue back to its home after it had been recovered by Federation operatives.  As a gesture of goodwill, the statue was to be completely restored before its delivery.  According to his research, the statue had originated on the third planet of the Parada system in the Gamma Quadrant and was a representation of an ancient god of war.  The android blinked as something momentarily stung his eyes.  He rubbed them as the turbolift stopped on Deck 11.

...............................................................................................

 Inordinately proud of his cleverness, Q began his play in earnest:
   "And those things do best please me
   That befall prepost'rously."

 Beverly Crusher was walking down the corridor of Deck 11, completely absorbed in the medical texts she had been studying.  Her eyes stung briefly and she rubbed them, blinking a few times until they cleared.  Returning her attention to the PADD, she continued studying the latest information on the medical applications of nanoprobes.  The research was based on information included in the new data stream transmissions from the Delta Quadrant.  She glanced up as she neared a corridor intersection, hearing someone cross in front of her.  Remembering that Jean-Luc had mentioned lunch with Vash, she figured that it was him on his way to her lab just down the corridor.  As she reached the corridor intersection, she called out to the Captain hoping to catch him.  Before she could look away, the turbolift doors opened, revealing Data.  Her eyes locked onto the android; she had never noticed how strong, masculine and sexy he was.  In a trance-like daze, she moved towards him, her heart pounding faster as she wondered if he'd always been such a golden god.

 Hearing his name, Picard stopped in the corridor rubbing his eyes briefly and turned back to look up the hall.  He had thought he'd heard Doctor Crusher calling him.  Not seeing anyone in the corridor, he mentally shrugged and continued on his way to the archaeology lab.

 "Doctor,"  Data's voice sounded husky to his ears.  He was completely mesmerized as Beverly Crusher walked toward him.  Unexpectedly activated, his emotion chip sent an overwhelming arousal washing over him.  He knew that by human standards the doctor was a beautiful woman; however, he could not recall her ever appearing as appealing as she did now.  The gentle swell of her breasts strained against her uniform as it skimmed her delicate frame.  Her fiery, copper hair glinted in the corridor's illumination adding to the effect of her dazzling blue eyes.  He dropped the PADD he was holding as she stopped to stand just in front of him, seductively wetting her lush lips with the very tip of her tongue.

 "Data."  Beverly's voice was breathless with a sudden, intense need she couldn't put into words.  Her entire body tingled with anticipation.  As the sensation spread across her breasts, the peaks hardened, pushing against her clothing.

 Reaching out, Data swiftly pulled her into his arms.  Her supple curves molded to him as his arms wrapped around her slim waist.  Their mouths met in a fiercely impassioned kiss as the door of the turbolift snapped shut behind them.  Stealing between her parted lips, his tongue began a thorough exploration of  her mouth, ardently searching the deepest recesses of  the warm, moist cavern.  Their tongues entangled, swirling and stroking each other in a carnal tryst.  From the softness of her breasts against his chest to the intertwining of their legs, the pressure of her body pressing against his was most provocative.  Data felt his tactile sensory system responding, his hardness growing with each passing moment.

 Beverly's arms encircled his neck as she deepened the kiss.  Her mind reeled at the sensations coursing over her.  Her nipples were so hard they ached.   She pushed herself upward, streaks of fire racing through her body at the feel of the taut peaks grazing against Data's hard, masculine contours.  She was out of breath when Data finally broke the kiss.  She felt the turbolift come to an abrupt stop as Data halted it between decks and secured the door with an access code only two people on the entire ship could override.  Yearning to explore the firm, muscular planes of his body, Beverly moved her hands to grip the upper edge of his uniform jacket and, in one swift motion, ripped the snaps open down the front.  She pulled the jacket down his arms to it drop on the floor.  Grasping the top edges of his shirt, she strongly jerked the shirt open yanking it down to join the jacket on the floor.  She impatiently tugged at his T-shirt, pulling it free of his waistband.  Her hands glided over the sculpted muscles of his chest as she pushed the thin cloth out of her way.  Data's hands left her only long enough to strip the shirt off over his head.  Her gaze followed her hands as they drifted down the masculine slope of his shoulders to linger on the taut biceps of his upper arms.  The smooth warmth of his golden skin beneath her fingertips inflamed her senses.  Her hands journeyed back up to his shoulders, only to slide down the muscular wall of his chest.  Softly, she murmured, "I never truly realized what an artist Soong was.  You're Michelangelo's 'David' come to life."

 As her graceful hands trailed over his skin, Data's body temperature elevated slightly.  Even though his respiration had increased, his systems were having trouble correcting the thermal imbalance.  Driven by an insatiable hunger, he pressed her back against the wall of the lift and seized her lips in a ravenous kiss.  With android precision, his fingers deftly opened the fasteners down the front of her uniform jacket.  Removing it from her, he dropped it down to join his on the floor of the lift.  With the same proficiency, he discarded her uniform shirt.  He slid his mouth from hers to explore the soft skin of her throat.  His mouth reached the hollow of her throat and he could feel her very rapid pulse against his lips.  Flicking his tongue against the throbbing point, he was rewarded when she gasped and rolled her head back against the wall of the turbolift.  His mouth moved even lower to the lush cleavage offered by her white lacey brassiere and his tongue traced the swell of her breasts.   Unhooking the bra's clasp at the center of her décolletage, his eyes drank in the ivory skin tipped with deep rosy peaks and the lush roundness of her breasts.   Calculating the most effective pressure for desirable effect, his lips imprisoned the taut nipple of one of her breasts and he swirled his tongue over the stiff peak.  His auditory sensors registered that Beverly was moaning his name as she held his head with both her hands, pulling him even closer.  Encouraged by her reactions, he nipped at the hardened crest with slightly more pressure before suckling with calculated strength.  Voraciously, he tormented first one breast and then the other.

 Beverly could hear gasps and moans and dimly realized that they were coming from her own throat. Data's mouth was creating intense sensations that surged through her body leaving her mindless.   The sharp ache grew as he suckled first one breast and then the other making her body throb with need.  Her breathing  was ragged as he trailed hot, moist kisses back up over her chest and neck.  His lips covered hers in a fervent kiss his tongue plundering the depths of her mouth.  Marveling at the power contained in his lean, well-defined muscular body, she allowed her hands to drift down over the taut muscles of his stomach to the waistband of his trousers.  Running her hands over his strong thighs, she found and caressed the evidence of his desire.  Even through the fabric of his trousers, she could feel his body�s hard arousal straining against her small hand.

 Breaking the kiss, Data quickly captured both of her tiny wrists in one of his strong hands.  He drew them up above her head to lay against the wall of the turbolift.  His free hand skimmed down the flat plane of her stomach to the waist of her uniform pants.  His hand moved even lower, wrapping around the back of one knee and drawing it toward him.  Reaching down, he expertly removed her boot and then repeated the movement on her other leg. Unfastening the waistband of her pants, he slid them from her body.

 Beverly trembled as his hand cupped the front of her panties.   Deftly slipping past the satin, his fingers found her moist warmth, stroking and caressing her erotically.  Incredibly, she felt his thumb rubbing her as his fingers filled her.  Her entire body felt as if it was made of liquid flames.  Pushing herself at his hand, her hips jerked as his fingers stroked her with the skill of a maestro.  He released her hands and once again she found the waistband of his uniform trousers.  Swiftly, she opened his trousers and grasped him.  With her hand gently stroking the hard length, she was elated to find that Soong had not only created a very handsome but also a very well-endowed android.  Whimpering in desperate need, she pleaded, "Data . . . Please . . . I want you inside me."

 Unable to control his own desires any longer, he slid her panties down the length of her legs dropping them to the floor.  His hand moved to grip her graceful thigh and pull it up to his hip, wrapping her leg around his waist.   Pressing her forcefully against the wall, he entered her with one deep, powerful thrust.  He could sense her impatience as her small hands gripped his shoulders and her body tightened around him, drawing him in deeper.  The cadence he set was rapid, striving for complete possession of her body.  With each thrust, he buried himself deep inside her.  He took her with quick, strong strokes, driving himself into her ceaselessly.

 Beverly twisted her hips, helplessly pinned against the wall, but still trying to challenge every powerful thrust.  Every long, hard motion in and out of her body sent streaks of pleasure pulsing through her.  She wrapped her other leg around him to imprison him between her legs as he continued to take her with rapid, forceful strokes.  The heat and fullness of each thrust sent torrents of intense sensations flooding over her.  The tension that had been building in her finally reached a crescendo.  Her overwhelming release came in wave after wave of ecstasy crashing over her.  With a passionate cry, her head fell back against the wall and her entire body arched upward toward him.

 Data watched with wonder as Beverly's entire body quaked with completion.  His own body still demanded release.  He could feel a pressure beginning to build and he tried to reach for it surrendering his awareness to the burning pleasure of her body gripping and spasming around him as he continued to move in and out of hers.  With one final, hard thrust, he held himself deep inside her as his own powerful release ripped through him.

 Beverly collapsed in a near swoon against Data's lean, muscular frame, his body holding her effortlessly in spite of their recent exertions.  Her breathing was labored and spasms raced through her trembling, damp body.  Sounding very disoriented, she gasped, "Data . . .what just happened? . . . I mean I know what just happened  . . .but why did it just happen?"

 "I do not know.  Considering that this is quite unlike our usual personal interaction, I suggest that we report to sickbay for full examinations."  He watched with concern as she shifted her weight onto her own legs.  "Doctor, are you all right?  Did I injure you?"

 "Oh no, Data.  It was wonderful." Beverly assured him with a smile reaching up to tenderly brush his cheek.  "I'm just not sure why we did it."

 "It did seem like the thing to do at the time."
 
...................................................................................................................

 As Q looked over the ship for more entertainment, his attention stopped and he quoted:
 "Shall we their fond pageant see?
 Lord, what fools these mortals be!"

 In Engineering, Chief Engineer Geordi LaForge was looking for a PADD.  Unfortunately it was not one of the several he had in his hand.  "Where is the diagnostic on those plasma relays?"  He turned away from the console to repeat his question to the engineering crew.  His eyes stung briefly and he blinked, rubbing at them.  "Where is the--"  Just then his eyes cleared and fell on someone crawling backwards out of an access port to a jeffries tube.  An overwhelming desire crashed over him, driving everything else out of his thoughts.  Shoving the PADDs onto the console, he strode over and pushed the uniform-clad hips back into the jeffries tube, entering behind and quickly closing and securing the access hatch.

 Robin Lefler was startled when she felt hands on her hips pushing her back inside the tube.  She squirmed around to see who had crawled in behind her.  "Commander?  What...?"  She didn't get to finish her sentence as he pressed his lips ardently to hers.  Robin was startled by his actions, although not terribly upset.  Geordi was good-looking, by any standards, with an easy manner, quick wit and keen intelligence.  As long as she had known him, though, he had never indicated any interest in her.  She wasn't one to chase where she wasn't wanted; but right now, if his hands pulling frantically at her uniform were any indication, she was definitely wanted.  "Geordi, we're on duty."  This wasn't exactly the most romantic place on the ship, nor the most comfortable.

 "I need you now, please."  His hoarse response came as his full lips sought out and crushed hers beneath them.

 Well, she thought, I tried.  Applying Law 29:  common sense is highly overrated, she moaned softly at the feeling of his hands feverishly stroking the length of her body, arousing her.  Cradling his head in her hands, she opened her mouth and pushed her tongue past his lips, deepening the kiss.  She shrugged out of her uniform jacket and broke the kiss only briefly to strip her top off.   Gasping, she pressed herself into the strong hands that cupped her breasts through the fabric of her brassiere as her lips found his again.  Her hands moved to unfasten his uniform top, wanting to feel his bronze chest against her.  As she felt him unhook her bra, she laid back pulling him with her.  Shedding the bra, she tugged at the waist of his trousers, pulling his shirt free.  His lithe, compact body was smooth and firm beneath her fingertips as she slid them under the fabric.  The sparse curly hairs tickled her palms as she stroked across his chest and found the hardened nipples, squeezing them.

 Geordi shuddered at the sharp streaks that shot through him as she tormented his nipples.  He broke the kiss, pulling back to quickly remove his jacket and shirt.   He covered her with his body, stretching out full-length inside the jeffries tube.  Her creamy, supple curves molded to him and his desires flared as she lay open to his heated gaze, naked from the waist up.  He kissed her deeply, their tongues sparring in erotic abandon.  His hands explored and caressed her and he moaned into her mouth as she arched into his touch.  His heart was pounding furiously, the pulse echoing in his ears.  His only thought was to have her, to satisfy this overwhelming need.

 Hot hands were moving feverishly over her body as she responded to his kiss.  His dark, closely cropped hair bristled against her fingertips as she pulled him closer.  She whimpered softly as her hardened nipples grazed the solid muscles of his chest sending streaks of fire through her.  Robin pushed herself up at him, her body burning.  Her hands stroked down the ebony smoothness of his back to cup and knead his tight butt.  Impatiently, she sought out the front of his trousers to open them, pushing them down to his knees.  She murmured her appreciation of his muscled thighs as her fingers trailed back up his body.

 The feel of delicate caresses up his backside spurred Geordi to action.  He tried to push her uniform pants out of the way, belatedly realizing that he had forgotten to unfasten them.  Grunting softly, he quickly undid them and shoved them, together with her underwear, down her legs.  Moving back over her, his hands dropped down to nudge her creamy thighs apart.  Her pants, just below her knees prevented her legs from opening enough to allow him access.  Groaning aloud in frustration, he raised himself up to reach down and push her pants down to her ankles.  His hand caressed up the silky smooth skin of her leg, lingering where they encountered the wet evidence of her desire.

 Robin felt her hips jerk against his hand as long, probing fingers explored her intimately.  Squirming against the cold, hard floor of the jeffries tube, she was mesmerized by the contrast between her small white hands and the smooth, dark skin they were caressing.  She tugged at him, wordlessly urging him on.  Her arms wound around his neck as he once again covered her with his body.  Trying to wrap her legs around his hips, she found her ankles constrained by the material bunched there.  She could feel his hardness pressing against the soft skin of her stomach and she struggled to kick her boots off to slip out of the pants.

 Feeling the twisting beneath him, he caught on that she was trying to free her legs.  Quickly, he maneuvered around to pull her boots off.  "Ouch."

 "What's wrong?"  she gasped, her breathing labored.

 "Nothing,"  Geordi rasped back.  "I hit my head on the wall."  Making short work of her boots, he nearly crowed with relief as those troublesome uniform pants were shoved out of the way.

 As his lean, powerful body settled firmly between her thighs, she embraced those slim, ebony hips with her legs, crossing her ankles to trap him against her.  She could taste the salty perspiration of his skin as her mouth sucked and nibbled along his jaw.  "Oh God, yes!"  An excited whisper tore from her throat as Geordi's strong hands firmly held her hips and entered her with one powerful thrust.

 His need drove him to set a frantic pace, his body straining to reach a completion he didn't understand.  Her hips were grinding up to meet his with every stroke, exciting him.  He watched her, beautiful in her passion with her head tossing wildly.  As her moans grew in pitch, his lips covered hers, crushing their rosy fullness beneath his.  The heat and desire were reaching an unbearable intensity when Robin jerked and tightened her hold on him.  He swallowed her cries of release even as he continued his movements.   His own groan of satisfaction echoed in the jeffries tube as he held himself buried in her.  Gradually his mind cleared, his breathing slowed and he looked down into the sweat-dampened, flushed face of Robin Lefler.   "Why'd we just do this?"

 Her eyes flew open to meet the confused gaze of her lover.  "What do you mean, why?"

.........................................................................................................

 As Picard continued down the corridors of the Enterprise toward the ship's archaeology lab, Q saw an opportunity for adventure and spoke quickly:
 " Then will two at once woo one;
  That must needs be sport alone."
 

 "Well, looks like you're very close to being finished."  Will Riker commented to Vash as they stood side by side in her lab.  The statue of a nude humanoid male with a sleek, well-defined musculature appeared to have been chiseled out of a solid block of stone.  The features of the figure were all now clearly distinct and the alien stone was smooth and highly polished, except for the roughly shaped objects held in each of the hands.  In one hand the statue held a long, thin cylindrical shape and in the other hand a broad, flat, octagon shaped item.  The artifact reminded the Enterprise's first officer of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures.

 "Not really.  Although I've given him a long overdue buff and shine, I still have no idea who Kilroy here was or exactly what he's holding."  She affectionately patted the arm of the statue.  "Our friend could be a warrior holding a weapon and shield or he could be something completely different.  I won't know for sure until after a literature review of everything we have on this civilization.  Of course, it would take me months to go through all that which is why I asked Data to do it.  It will only take him an hour or so, tops."

 "That's cheating."  He teased.

 "No more than when I give a broken piece of equipment to Geordi to fix, hand you a jar that is difficult to open or back at the vineyard when I send Jean-Luc in to get the big spider out of the bathtub."  She quipped.

 "You're a highly-trained field archaeologist, but you send him in to get rid of the spiders." Riker chuckled as he pictured the captain being summarily summoned to dispatch the offending creature.

 Feigning indignation, Vash responded, "I am a highly-trained 'interstellar' field archaeologist, who spends most of her time onboard starships.  I simply do not enjoy the presence of arachnids, especially in my bathtub."

 "Let me guess, you don't like snakes either."  He surmised with a grin.  Something stung his eyes and he began rubbing them.

 "Smartass."  Vash retorted playfully.  "Are you all right?"  She broke off the banter when she realized something was wrong.

 Still blinking and rubbing, he nodded.  "Yeah, eyes more mysterious than the stars just got into mine."  He cooed at her.

 "Listen to you.   Your days of being a smooth charmer were over when Deanna claimed you as hers.  Speaking of which, didn't she mention that she was having lunch with you?"  Vash pointedly led him to the door.  "It's bad form to keep a lady waiting."

 "Yes ma'am."  Riker replied in mock meekness, still trying to clear his vision as he walked out.

..............................................................................................

 Observing the fun with unrestrained glee, Q added fuel to the fire:
  "When in that moment, so it came to pass,
  Titannia waked, and straightaway loved an ass."

 Deanna rubbed her neck wearily.  She had been working on crew evaluations for hours.  Checking the chronometer, she decided to try to get through one more before Will arrived for lunch.  Her eyes stung briefly.  Rubbing them, she pulled up the next evaluation, the picture and bio appearing on the PADD in front of her.  The door chime sounded, interrupting her.  Her mind raced, her thoughts completely absorbed in a sudden, overwhelming arousal.  She dropped the PADD on her desk and stood up, calling for the door.   Riker stood in the doorway, his gaze locking with hers for only a second before she rushed over to drag him bodily into her office.  Her mouth was frantically licking and nibbling along his throat and jaw, trying to taste his very essence.  Delicate, manicured nails wound into his hair, pulling his head down in an effort to bring him closer.  His crew evaluation forgotten, all she wanted in that instant was to feel them joined, complete.  Their bond intensified her need as his own burning desire thrummed through her mind.
 
 Blood pounding furiously in his ears, Will's lips trapped hers, crushing them in desperate desire.  His strong arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her against him, annoyed at the feeling of layers of clothing between them.  He could feel her legs wrap around his hips as his hands cupped her, rocking her against him in a frustrating simulation of what they both needed so badly.  In his mind, her passion-hazed pleas took his own arousal to incredible heights of sensation.  Her lips parted easily, allowing his tongue to probe the moist recesses of her mouth.   His body was throbbing, aching for the dark, beautiful woman in his arms.  Coaxing her legs back down to the floor, he reached for the binding in her hair to release the long, luxuriant tresses.  Winding one hand through Deanna's hair, he jerked open her uniform jacket with the other.  He maneuvered one muscled thigh between her legs to hold her close to him as he stripped the jacket off and discarded it on the floor.

 Deanna felt him release her hair to pull at her top with both hands, pulling it up her torso.  Her hands moved to his uniform and began working the fasteners, pausing only to allow her top to be pulled completely off.  She could sense his pleasure at the sight and feel of her.  His hands caressed her bare skin as her hips began moving against the solid thigh between them in an attempt to ease the ache.  As she quickly removed his uniform pieces, she felt the erotic pressure of his leg as she ground herself against it.  His thoughts were consumed with an overwhelming desire for her and the images of what he wanted from her set her senses aflame.  The ache she had felt upon seeing his picture and his answering need when the door opened fired her passion.   Shrugging out of the bra he had deftly unfastened, she pressed the hard peaks of her breasts against his now-naked chest and began moving faster.  Sweat began trickling down her brow, stinging her eyes.  Loud moans filled the room as the feelings intensified and she could feel that she was close.  Her hips gyrated frantically against his thigh and suddenly she shuddered violently, gasping at the intensity of her release.

 As he felt the familiar sensation in his mind of his Imzadi's utter satisfaction, Riker's own desires were spurred.  Kicking his boots off, he shed the rest of his clothing and turned his attention to hers.  Once they were both naked, he wrapped his arms around her and lowered them both to the floor.  He claimed her lips in a deep, passionate kiss, his tongue forcing it's way back into her mouth.  He could feel Deanna's hands restlessly caressing his back, the occasional scrape of her nails intensifying his desires.  He lowered his head to nuzzle the delicate juncture between her throat and shoulder, the familiar spark of pleasure coursing from her mind to his.  As she arched her body into the hard wall of his chest, her hands moved up to entwine themselves into his hair, whimpering softly as his mouth claimed one of her breasts.  He captured the nipple gently between his teeth and suckled her straining breast delighting in the streaks of fire that shot through him as he shared her sensations.  As the sounds of her pleasure rang in his ears, his hands dropped to her hips and he buried himself in her with one strong thrust.  Bracing himself on his forearms, he drove into her sharply again and again.  He could feel her legs around his hips spurring him on, her own hips twisting up to meet his every stroke.  Mindless to everything but the woman beneath him and their shared desire, he continued to drive himself into her in a fast, punishing pace.

 Deanna could feel her senses spiraling out of control again.  Her legs were around his hips, forcing him deeper with every thrust.   "Imzadi," she panted breathlessly.   Her over-sensitized skin was aware of every inch of him pressed against her and the feeling of the cold floor beneath her.   She could feel his need cresting, magnifying her own need as she gloried in the sensation of his body drawing almost completely out before filling her against completely.  The conflicting sensations of filling and being filled consuming them both through their shared mental intimacy.  Suddenly, the pressure exploded and a second, more intense orgasm gripped her.

 Riker's own release was triggered by Deanna's scream of pleasure in his mind.  He arched into her one final time, holding himself tight against her as he growled his own satisfaction.  Rolling over onto his side without breaking their connection, he held her close as they laid there each trying to bring their labored breathing back to normal.  After several minutes, he spoke for the first time since his arrival at her office.  "This wouldn't have any thing to do with that Betazed phase thing, would it?"

 Pushing up onto an elbow, Deanna looked down into Will's exhausted face.  "Are you insinuating that I'm getting old?"

...........................................................................................................
 
 Cackling at his own cleverness, Q set up the final act:
   "And so far am I glad it so did sort,
     As this their jangling I esteem a sport."

 Leaning against the doorway of her lab, Vash watched as Riker disappeared around the corner to meet Deanna for lunch.  She blinked as something stung her eyes.  Rubbing them, she turned to go back into her lab muttering to herself, "Now there's dust in my eyes.  Maybe I should have Engineering check the ventilation system in my lab."

 Coming down the corridor from the other direction, Picard's gaze fell on Vash walking back into her lab.  A surge of intense sexual desire washed over him and he envisioned the invitingly lacy lingerie and perfect feminine curves he knew were hidden beneath her khaki shorts and work shirt.  His original plan to have a nice leisurely lunch with his new wife was promptly discarded in favor of a little impromptu afternoon delight.  His pulse quickened as did his pace.

 As her eyes cleared, Vash focused in on the statue.  The statue was solid male perfection reproduced in gray stone, the clean, sculpted lines exuding a strong masculinity.  The musculature was well-defined, she thought to herself, stroking a cold, hard thigh.  Her hand traveled up along the hip and around to trace the length of the spine.  Breathing became labored as she admired the exquisite details of the chest, stone nipples perpetually hard.  Her own breasts ached, the peaks stiffening as her fingers grazed the rock-hard nubs of the statue.  Finding the sculpture reminiscent of the magnificent artifacts and fantastical mythology of ancient Greece, Vash's imagination began to race, speculating on the identity of her adamantine hero.

 Upon entering, Picard quickly ascertained his wife was alone in her lab.  To ensure continued privacy, the captain used his authorization code to secure the door.  His gaze slowly trailed over Vash's curvaceous silhouette.  His breath caught in his throat as she almost sensuously caressed the statue, seemingly engrossed in her work.  Her utilitarian shorts efficaciously accentuated her long, shapely legs and the perfectly proportioned roundness of her backside.  The muscles of his body tensed in an ardent response to the way the simple khaki outfit conformed to the flare of her hips, the slimness of her waist and the graceful arch of her spine.  He walked over to stand just behind her.

 "Who are you, mythical god or fabled warrior?"  Vash wondered aloud as her hands glided down the masculine slope of the statue's shoulders to linger on the stony biceps of its corded upperarms. Her fingertips tingled as they caressed the cool stone sparking a flicker of heat deep in her body.

 "Do the artifacts talk back, ma petite?"  Picard murmured softly from behind her as his arms encircled her waist.  Closing his eyes, he buried his face in her silky hair, inhaling deeply, drinking in her sweet scent.  His hands surreptitiously slipped up the flat plane of her stomach to find the buttons of her shirt.

 "In a way.  Every tiny detail or nuance, which may pass by the casual observer unnoticed, are clues that can suggest to us whether this is an Ares-type god of war or a great warrior reminiscent of Diomedes himself."  She intoned, absorbed by the myriad of possibilities swirling through her mind.  Waves of arousal caused the heat flickering in her stomach to harden into a knot of desire.  Oblivious to the large warm hands of her husband deftly unbuttoning her shirt, Vash beseeched the statue,  "Are you deity or are you mortal?"

 "Vash," Picard implored, his voice husky with desire.  He nudged the soft curtain of brunette hair aside to nibble along the slender column of her neck.  Blood roared in his ears, his body painfully hard even as she remained heedless of his ardent desire.  Acceding to her rapt absorption in her work, he decided on a more creative Picard Maneuver.  He slipped her shirt down baring the alabaster perfection of her shoulders, peeling it from her and dropping it to the floor.  As he brushed his lips along the feminine curve of her shoulder, the low timber of his voice rolled across the creamy skin.  "A Heracles perhaps, both deity and mortal."

 "Immortalized for his twelve labors."  Vash observed to herself, relatively unaware of her brassiere being discarded to the floor and her husband's large hands cupping her breasts from behind.  Spellbound by the granite champion in front of her, she arched into powerful hands as thumbs rhythmically teased her aching nipples.  Throbbing with need, her entire body felt as if it were made of liquid flames.

 With each breath Picard took, her scent intoxicated him.  The sight of her breasts with their lush roundness and ivory skin tipped with deep rosy peaks cupped in his hands sent a surge of desire coursing over him.  His hands left her breasts drifting lower to unfasten the waistband of her work shorts allowing them to fall to the floor.  Slipping beneath her delicate lace panties, his fingers caressed and teased her, knowing her body's rhythm as if it were his own.  The discovery that she was very wet and perilously close to the edge drove his own need to an almost unbearable level.  Her supple curves writhed back against him shooting pulses of pure fire through his body.   In a rich, bedroom baritone, he offered.  "Or perhaps Perseus, victorious in battle, coming to claim the beautiful Andromeda for his own."

 Her immortalized Perseus would be the perfect lover, strong yet gentle with an overwhelming masculinity that would cause maidens to swoon at a mere glance.  The massive forearms would wrap his Andromeda in an enveloping embrace, smelling of sweat, fresh from his gallant defense of his people.  With her hands braced against the upperarms of the statue, her body arched like a drawn bow as talented fingers created a throbbing need almost painful in its intensity.  The pressure continued to build and she tried to reach for it.  She was lost in the pleasure consuming her body as fingers were filling her, nimbly stroking and inflaming the explosive force mounting inside her.  Her small hands clutched the stone as an overwhelming release crashed over her in wave after wave of ecstasy.  Slowly regaining her senses, she became aware of her surroundings, the cold stone beneath her fingertips, her lack of clothing and Jean-Luc's strong arms wrapped around her waist.  'Where did he come from? And how did his hand get there?'  She wondered, somewhat amused.  'Although, it does explain the orgasm.'  Still sounding breathless, she turned to face him. "Jean-Luc?"

 Finding the roundness of her derriere, Picard cupped the supple flesh in his hands and yanked her roughly against him as his mouth descended on hers in a savage kiss.  His tongue plunged past her parted lips to plundered the depths of her mouth.  As his mouth took command of hers, he forced her svelte curves even tighter against him in a futile attempt to ease his desperate need for her.

 The juncture of her thighs was still highly sensitized and throbbed erotically in response to the pressure of Jean-Luc's hard arousal pushing against her through the fabric of his trousers.  With her breasts crushed up against the solid expanse of his chest, the rough wool of his uniform jacket sent streaks of fire through the aching peaks. As his lips and tongue continued to attack hers, she felt her pulse and breathing quicken again.  Her arousal was quickly reigniting with the feel of the hard, length of his body against hers.  Her hands clutched his shoulders, feeling the sinewy muscles through his uniform and thrilling at the breadth of them compared to her tiny palms.  Responding to his kiss, she nudged her tongue past his in her own erotic search of his mouth.

 Without breaking the kiss, Picard wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and picked Vash up, walking over to her desk.  With one arm, he slashed violently across the desk sending everything crashing to the floor.  Pressing her body backward, he laid Vash on her back on the smooth surface.  Swiftly, he slid her panties down the length of her legs dropping them to the floor.  Placing himself between her long, shapely legs, he broke the kiss and pulled up to hover her.  His eyes hungrily raked over the feminine jewel sprawled naked across the desk.  His hands gripped the upper edge of his uniform jacket and, in one swift motion, ripped the snaps open down the front pulling it off and dropping it to the floor.  Grasping the edges of his shirt, he yanked it off throwing it down to join the jacket on the floor.  He tugged at his T-shirt, pulling it free of his waistband, stripping it off over his head and tossing it aside.

 Fierce determination blazed in steel-grey eyes as Vash watched him strip his lean, hard body to the waist.  Her eyes drifted over his broad shoulders, past the well-defined muscles of his chest, the bulging biceps of his upper arms and down along the tapering lines of his torso to the taut strength of his stomach.  He was the very picture of raw masculinity, again the carnal ache bloomed deep inside her.  Her hands drifted down the lean tapering lines of his torso to the waistband of his trousers.  She swiftly opened his trousers to stroke the his hard length.

 "Oui, finalement!"  Picard growled, fighting for control as his body throbbed against her hands as she caressed him.  Heated blood surged through his veins and he was unable to deny his own desperate needs any longer.  Bracing his hands on the desk on either side of her shoulders, entered her with one powerful thrust, gliding easily into her heated depths.  Her small hands dug into his muscles as she clutched his biceps.  The cadence became one of furious intensity as his body demanded total possession of hers.  His mouth claimed her lips in a searing kiss as he slammed himself forcefully into her, driving himself deep within her.   Her hips arched to accept every powerful thrust.   Fiercely, he thrust into her over and over.  Like a mirror image of his own need, she matched him motion for motion.  A thin sheen of perspiration covered his body as he lost himself to the burning pleasure of her body moving in perfect synchronization with his own.  Breaking the kiss, he lifted his head to look down into her lovely face, seeing her eyes closed and her face contorted with desperate need.  He had never seen anything as erotically compelling as Vash at the peak of ecstasy.  Her entire body arched toward him shuddering repeatedly with pleasure and deep inside him a deluge broke loose.  With one, last, powerful thrust, he held himself buried inside her as his own explosive release ripped through him.  Collapsing on to her, his body was damp and his breathing labored from the physical exertion.  Nuzzling delicate skin of her neck, he whispered, "Je t' aime."

 "Je t' aime." Vash responded with a breathless sigh, rolling her head back against the desk.  Looking at the ceiling, she drolled, "Johnny, this is not the most comfortable surface you could have chosen to scratch this itch.  May I get up now?"

 "Of course, chere."  Picard responded, standing up.  He retrieved her panties and brassiere from the floor and handed them to her as she sat up.  "I have no idea where this particular urge came from.  The instant I saw you, I just couldn't think of anything else.  An overwhelming desire just seemed to hit me from nowhere."

 Slipping on her panties and her bra, Vash thought back on her response to the statue. "This smacks of Q."

 "For the love of God!  Don't call him now!"  Picard's hands quickly flew to the waistband of his trousers, hopping slightly as he zipped them up.

 Closing her eyes for an instant, Vash sensed an all too familiar presence.  "Too late."

 "Hello, mon capitaine." Q appeared leaning against the statue holding a large book.

 "What are you up to, Q?"  Vash cast out suspiciously as she pulled on her shirt.

 With a smirk, Q replied.  "Well Madame Picard, to quote Billy Shakespeare -- fascinating man, I really must meet him --
  If we shadows have offended,
  Think but this, and all is mended:
  That you have but slumb'red here,
  While these visions did appear.
  And this weak and idle theme,
  No more yielding but a dream,
  Gentles, do not reprehend:
  If you pardon, we will mend.
  And, as I am an honest Puck,
  If we have unearned luck
  Now to scape the serpent's tongue,
  We will make amends ere long;
  Else the Puck a liar call:
  So, good night unto you all.
  Give me your hands, if we be friends,
  And Robin shall restore amends."
 Finishing his speech, Q disappeared and the book he was holding fell to the floor.

 As Picard picked up his book of Shakespeare's works, Vash observed, "It could have been worse."

 "How?"  Picard was already imagining the possible chaos Q had caused throughout his ship.

 "It could have been your copy of the Kama Sutra."

****Finis****